Coronavirus survey: Findings could help heal deep divisions caused by pandemic – Tony Blakely

photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf

The government has announced New details The Royal Commission into the response to the coronavirus outbreak begins its second phase.

Home Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden said phase two would cover the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine and look at the impact of extended lockdowns in Auckland and Northland.

Litigation expert Grant Illingworth KC was appointed chairman, and commissioners include Judy Kavanagh and Anthony Hill.

The first phase has met with thousands of people across the country and received more than 13,000 public submissions.

The inquiry’s chair, Professor Tony Blakely, who will step down in November, said in the course of his work he had observed the deep divisions the pandemic had caused in New Zealand society.

Some people feel that they have indeed been wronged.

“I hope that our report can be independent and impartial … and at least give people a glimpse into (what really happened) … It’s interesting to see some people step back and reflect on this pandemic.”

He cited the example of an Australian politician who recently lamented that vaccine mandates were being overused.

“So people will look back and think ‘Oh my god, there were some unintended consequences here’.”

While New Zealand has handled the pandemic well, it could have done better, and the panel is determined to come up with some solutions.

Risk of having two teams and two reports

He told Morning Report He believes such an investigation has never gone through two phases before, but he does not want to continue in the position beyond this year.

He agreed to investigate Already politicizedStill, the group’s work will produce some “profound” recommendations.

A wide range of voices were heard, from liberal voices to medical experts and policymakers.

However, with another panel taking over, there could be two reports with different conclusions.

“Our job is to write a really good authoritative report that covers as much ground as we can, and I’m sure we can do that. The next inquiry will go into some of the issues in more depth.”

His group had conveyed to the new group some aspects that might need further exploration.

Some of the second group’s work will focus more on more controversial aspects of the pandemic, such as vaccine authorizations and vaccine effectiveness.

Professor Blackley’s work also touches on these topics, although it does not examine the safety and harms of vaccines.

Comments were received from a number of people who have been affected by the issue personally and professionally.

“So the second phase could delve deeper into issues like these.”

While the UK inquiry was being conducted publicly, Professor Blakely said it was a very expensive approach and he was comfortable with New Zealanders expressing their views privately.

In the second phase, some public hearings would be held “if they think it would be useful”.

Ms Van Velden declined a request for an interview about the next phase of the investigation. A spokesman for her office said the ACT MP was banned from speaking to the Herald. Morning Report.